Yoon Suk Yeol facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yoon Suk Yeol
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윤석열
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Official portrait, 2022
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| 13th President of South Korea | |
| In office 10 May 2022 – 4 April 2025 |
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| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Moon Jae-in |
| Succeeded by | Han Duck-soo (acting) |
| Prosecutor General of South Korea | |
| In office 25 July 2019 – 4 March 2021 |
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| President | Moon Jae-in |
| Preceded by | Mun Mu-il |
| Succeeded by | Kim Oh-soo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 December 1960 Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | People Power (since 2021) |
| Other political affiliations |
Independent (before 2021) |
| Spouse |
Kim Keon-hee
(m. 2012) |
| Parent |
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| Residence | Presidential residence |
| Education | Seoul National University (LLB, LLM) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
윤석열
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| Hanja |
尹錫悅
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| Revised Romanization | Yun Seokyeol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yun Sŏgyŏl |
Yoon Suk Yeol (Hangul: 윤석열; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor. He served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022 to 2025. He was removed from office by the Constitutional Court of South Korea. This happened after the National Assembly voted to impeach him in 2024. His time as president was the shortest in South Korea's democratic history.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Yoon Suk Yeol was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1960. He grew up in the Yeonhui-dong area. His father, Yoon Ki-jung, was a professor of economics at Yonsei University. His mother, Choi Seong-ja, was a lecturer at Ewha Womans University.
Yoon went to Daegwang Elementary School and Choongam High School. He then studied law at Seoul National University. In 1982, he was excused from military service due to an eye condition.
He passed the bar exam in 1991. This allowed him to become a lawyer.
Prosecutorial Career
Starting as a Prosecutor
Yoon began his career as a prosecutor in 1994. He worked in the Daegu Public Prosecutor's Office. He led teams that investigated cases about corruption.
In 2002, Yoon briefly worked as a lawyer. But he soon returned to being a prosecutor. He handled important cases, including those involving high-ranking officials.
In 2013, Yoon led a special team. This team looked into the National Intelligence Service (NIS). He accused the Justice Minister of trying to influence his investigation. Because of this, he was moved to a different office.
Later, Yoon became head of investigations for a special prosecutor team. This team looked into a big political scandal in 2016. This scandal led to the impeachment of then-president Park Geun-hye.
In 2017, President Moon Jae-in made Yoon the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. During his time there, many former officials faced charges.
Becoming Prosecutor General
On 17 June 2019, Yoon was chosen to be the prosecutor general. This is a very important role.
In November 2020, the Minister of Justice suspended Yoon from his job. They said he had broken rules. But Yoon fought this decision in court. The court agreed with him, and his suspension was stopped. The Ministry tried again to suspend him for two months. But a court again overturned this decision.
Presidential Election 2022
Yoon Suk Yeol was seen as a possible candidate for president. He became very popular in public opinion polls.
On 5 November 2021, he officially won the nomination. This meant he would represent the People Power Party in the 2022 presidential election.
Yoon won the election on 9 March 2022. He won by a very small number of votes. This was the closest presidential election in South Korean history.
Presidency (2022–2025)
Moving the Presidential Office
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On 20 March 2022, Yoon announced a big change. He said he would move the presidential office. It would move from the Blue House to the Ministry of National Defense building. The Blue House then became a public park. This change happened on 10 May 2022, when he became president.
Domestic Policies
Economic Plans
In 2023, Yoon tried to change working hours. He wanted to raise the maximum weekly hours from 52 to 69. But many people, especially young people, did not like this idea. So, he asked government agencies to rethink the plan.
Police Bureau Proposal
In July 2022, Yoon suggested creating a "police bureau." This was to give the government more control over the police. Some police officers protested this idea. They felt it would make the police less neutral.
Yoon criticized the protests. He called it a "serious breach" of police rules. His Interior Minister also made comments that caused more tension.
Healthcare Reform
On February 6, 2024, President Yoon announced a plan. He wanted to increase the number of medical students. The goal was to add 2,000 more students each year starting in 2025. This quota had not changed since 2006.
Doctors and medical students did not agree with this plan. They went on strike. They argued that it would not solve problems in rural areas. They also said it might make healthcare differences worse.
2024 Martial Law and Impeachment
On 3 December 2024, Yoon declared martial law. He said he wanted to "rebuild a democratic and free Korea." He accused other politicians of being "communist."
The National Assembly quickly voted against this decree. They said it was not valid. Hours later, Yoon lifted the martial law.
On 7 December, Yoon apologized for his decision. He said he regretted it and promised it would not happen again. This event caused a lot of political trouble. Many people called for him to resign.
On 9 December 2024, Yoon was banned from traveling overseas. This was part of an investigation. On 14 December 2024, the National Assembly voted to impeach him.
On 15 January, Yoon was arrested by the police. This made him the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. On 26 January, he was charged with serious offenses.
Removal from Office
On 4 April 2025, the Constitutional Court made a final decision. All eight judges agreed to uphold Yoon's impeachment. This officially removed him from office. He became the shortest-serving president in South Korea's democratic history.
Political Views
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Yoon Suk Yeol sees himself as a "conservative" politician. He believes in less government involvement in the economy. He is generally seen as supportive of businesses.
Economic Beliefs
Yoon does not like the government getting too involved in the economy. He supports economic liberalism. He has said that economist Milton Friedman influenced his beliefs. Yoon also wants South Korea to rely less on China for goods. He aims to make supply chains stronger.
Gender Equality Policy
When Yoon became president, he promised to get rid of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. He said his government would focus on individual issues, not gender as a whole.
In May 2022, there were only a few women in his government. This led to some criticism about the lack of women in leadership roles.
Military Stance
Yoon has supported the idea of South Korea having its own nuclear weapons.
In 2021, he said he would ask the United States to bring back tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea. This would be if North Korea posed a threat. However, the U.S. rejected this idea. They said it was against their policy.
Yoon has also said he would be open to more U.S. THAAD missile systems in South Korea.
Personal Life
President Yoon has been married to Kim Keon-hee since 2012. His wife prefers to be called "first spouse" instead of "first lady."
Kim is the president of a company called Covana Contents. This company organizes art exhibitions.
Yoon is a Catholic. His Christian name is Ambrose. He is one of several South Korean presidents who are Catholic.
